Have you ever tried to catch a dropped spoon before it hits the floor? You reach fast, but the spoon still gets a head start. Fast Tap is a tiny game about that head start, and it shows you something surprising about your own body.
#What you do
The game is simple. You watch a screen and wait. When it turns green, you tap as fast as you can. That is the whole game. It feels like you tap the very instant the color changes. But if you play a few times, you will see a small number appear, and that number is your reaction time. Ready to try? play it and see your score.
#What is really happening
Here is the secret. Your tap is never truly instant. When the screen turns green, light enters your eyes. Your eyes send a message to your brain. Your brain understands it and sends a new message down your arm to your finger. All of that takes time. For most people it takes about a fifth of a second, which is roughly the time it takes to say the word “green” out loud. Your body is not slow. It is just not instant. Even the fastest player in the world cannot beat the speed of that message traveling from eye to brain to hand.
#Where it shows up
This tiny delay is hiding everywhere. It is why a goalkeeper dives a little late for a fast shot. It is why you cannot always catch a falling pencil. It is why drivers are taught to leave space between cars, because the moment they see a red light, their foot still needs that fraction of a second to move. Once you know about the delay, you start to notice it all around you.
#The short version
- When the screen turns green, you tap, and the game times you.
- The signal travels from eye to brain to hand, so no tap is instant.
- For most people that whole trip takes about a fifth of a second.
- Your body is not slow, it is just fast, not instant.